Paragard IUD Lawsuit in Texas

Paragard cases from Texas are filed directly into MDL 2974 — In re Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation — pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, before the Honorable Leigh Martin May. MDL 2974 consolidated over 20,000 Paragard claims from across the country. Upon filing, cases are transferred to N.D. Georgia for coordinated pretrial proceedings under the Case Management Orders issued by Judge May; individual cases return to home districts only for trial.

Texas Statute of Limitations: Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003 establishes a 2 years limitations period for personal injury and product liability claims. Texas applies the discovery rule in products liability cases, tolling the limitations period until the plaintiff knew or should have known that the Paragard arm fracture caused her injuries — a key protection given that fragments are often discovered only during follow-up imaging or corrective surgery.

Transfer to N.D. Georgia MDL: Plaintiffs' counsel typically file Texas Paragard cases directly in the Northern District of Georgia to enter MDL 2974, or file in Texas federal court and receive transfer via JPML conditional transfer order. Either path results in cases being managed under Judge May's pretrial docket. Texas plaintiffs are subject to the MDL's Plaintiff Fact Sheet requirements and the bellwether trial selection process.

Texas has the second-largest population of reproductive-age women in the U.S. IUD use is significant across the state's major metropolitan areas; rural access gaps often lead women to rely on long-acting reversible contraception placed by traveling clinicians, increasing the likelihood that follow-up removal occurs at a different facility with less device history.